Separation of Religion and Science

degeneration of the present Muslim mindset. They seem to be busy engaged in trying to ascertain the permissibility or impermissibility of something that has already been decided long ago! It must be borne in mind that Islam had taken a revolutionary step in the seventh century AD. During the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad an extremely significant event had taken place, which changed the course of entire history. All such questions as the above gentleman asked me are directly related to this incident from the Prophet’s life. Since we are largely unaware of this important event, we are today beset by many unnecessary doubts. This incident occurred after the Prophet’s migration from Makkah to Madinah. It so happened that one day when he was on his way to some place, the Prophet noticed few men resting on the branches of the date palm tree and engrossed in something. The Prophet’s hometown, Makkah, was a mountainous terrain unfavourable for plantation of trees such as the date palm. Makkan diet thus consisted mostly of meat and milk. On the other hand, since Madinah was suitable for agriculture, dates constituted the dominant part of the diet. When the Prophet saw the local men of Madinah using techniques such as pollination, he became curious and enquired, “What